Allison Cardona
Allison began her career in animal welfare in 2000 in New York City on community cat projects. She volunteered with grassroots organizations to spay and neuter community cats, which led her to a job with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in 2003. Brought on as a bilingual English/Spanish outreach coordinator, Allison was given the opportunity to grow into leadership positions, working in adoptions, volunteer management, disaster response, large scale cruelty investigations, animal hoarding cases, cruelty intervention and ultimately as Senior Director of Community Engagement when she left the organization in 2016.
A desire to move to California led Allison to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control as Deputy Director of Operations in 2017. There she oversaw operations of several high intake animal shelters and various programs including adoption partners, volunteers, public relations, a 24/7 call center, animal behavior, and community outreach. Allison helped guide the agency through a pivotal shift from open admissions to managed intake and triage, resulting in a reduction of intake by more than half in one year. At the same time, services increased for the community including low cost and free spay/neuter, temporary boarding, pet food and supply distribution. Allison also led the implementation of a program to support pet owners experiencing homelessness and domestic violence, and a restorative justice program that paired underage foster kittens with youth participants at Camp Scott, a facility managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Probation.
Beyond the animal services department, Allison served as an Equity Action Team member for the County’s Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative, assisting with the implementation of an anti-racist policy agenda and strategic plan. She brought that knowledge back to animal services, leading efforts to identify systemic racism within the department’s policies and create new, equitable policies and practices.
After nearly five years at Los Angeles County, Allison took on the role of California State Director at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine program in January 2022. There, she is responsible for the implementation of a $37.5 million grant and support fund allocated by the state for animal shelters and animal control agencies in California. In the first six months of launching the program, over $7 million in funding has been distributed to animal shelters in support of progressive animal welfare programs that keep pets in their homes and reduce barriers to foster, transfer and return to home.
Allison received a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Affairs from Empire State College and certificates from USC Price School of Public Policy Executive Leadership Program and Southern Utah University’s Animal Services Executive Leadership Program. She is a member of the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement’s (AAWA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Allison also serves on the Leadership Council for the Downtown Women’s Center and as a volunteer for Hearts for Sight Foundation. She lives on Chumash, Kizh, and Tongva land with her partner, two dogs, and rotating foster kittens. The proud daughter of Colombian immigrants, Allison has advocated for racial equity and social justice throughout her career in animal welfare, supporting community-led programs and centering the voices of marginalized communities. Practicing yoga, journaling, and regular meditation have been foundational to keeping her centered to do this work.